A Corrupted Arcadia
by Silvite Reign
Summary: The classic story of Skies of Arcadia told through the eyes of Ramirez. Witness the actions that turned him from kind youth to ruthless but loyal follower. All reviews appreciated!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Arcadia: a world of vast treasure and great unknown. People travel from place to place in airships, much resembling the ships we use today to travel by sea. These people find their homes on floating islands under the light of six moons. These moons set the tone for the lives of the people inhabiting this world. The Green Moon holds the life-giving spirit of nature; under its light lives a vast civilization of forests and jungles. The Red Moon contains the destructive power of fire, and beneath its watch lays a seemingly endless desert where half a day's journey could kill a man. The Purple Moon controls the will of ice, and the land affected by its light is covered by a giant sheet of ice. The Blue Moon holds the spirits of Wind and Water, which watches over a land with an active volcano disguised as a seemingly peaceful mountain. The Yellow Moon controls the awesome power of lightning, where the skies are covered by black storm clouds. The only thing that could be seen above these clouds was the moon itself. Finally, the Silver Moon contains the power to control life and death, and below it the continent of Soltis lays dormant, watching the rest of the world.

Ancient mages found ways to harness the powers of the moon from moonstones, chunks of rock that fall from the moons to Arcadia like meteors. Each moonstone had the properties of the moon it came from, allowing the people to concentrate them into a useable form. Whether it be fuel, weapons, or even just decorations, a moonstone rarely went to waste.

However, one day, these mages found a way to focus that energy into ways never before imagined. They concentrated the power of thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of moonstones, into a single crystal that could fit into one's hand. They named these crystals, fittingly enough, the Moon Crystals. Like the moons themselves, there was one crystal for each of the six civilizations. The crystals shined as bright as the sun, and were arguably equally as powerful.

The ancient peoples argued among themselves over how the Moon Crystals should be used, but their leaders did not pay heed. They only desired two things, power and control. Not just the power that came from ruling their own civilizations, but the power that came from ruling all of Arcadia.

They used their newfound power to create giant living weapons capable of destroying entire islands. They named these creatures "the Gigas." Only the most powerful leader in each civilization would control the Gigas, and it was by the Moon Crystals that they did so, for whoever held the Moon Crystal could bid the Gigas to do his will.

Recumen, the red Gigas, could harness the power of the Red Moon into a destructive beam that could destroy almost anything. And with its four heads, anything rarely escaped his gaze. Grendel, the green Gigas, had a punch that could create earthquakes, and enough strength to take an island from its place and hurl it at its enemy. Bluheim, the Blue Gigas, was a bird-like creature that could fly faster than any ship and create maelstroms by merely flapping its wings. Plergoth, the purple Gigas, was an archwhale into which the Purple Moon Crystal had been implanted, greatly increasing his size and strength. He could also let out a cold blast of air from his mouth that could tear apart small ships. Yeligar, the yellow Gigas, could concentrate the powers of the Yellow Moons into a stream of electricity, electrocuting anything and everything in its path. Zelos, the silver Gigas, was the most mysterious of all. No one knew exactly what he was capable of, only that he lay in Soltis, awaiting to act if his master saw fit.

Each civilization declared war against the rest of the world, and the Gigas were sent out to annihilate everything in their path, and they did. All but Zelos set out to destroy the rest of the world. Civilians desperately sought shelter, many felt safer under a tree than they did out in the open. Some took the liberty of going to other continents to discuss ceasing the wars, but many left never to return. The ones that did make it were seen as "deceivers," people that tried to get other civilizations to let their guard down while their forces launch an attack. They were often hung as examples of what would happen to traitors.

No one was going to surrender, and no one was going to let up. It seemed that all would be lost in this war, and no matter how many people had to die, one person would come to rule all.

When all hope was lost, something nearly miraculous happened. The Moons began to glow with a peculiar aura; people from all lands stopped to look at the phenomenon. Then, out of nowhere, thousands of gigantic moonstones began falling from each moon, all across Arcadia. The only things to be heard were the explosions created by the moonstones colliding with the ground and the screams of the people fleeing for their lives. These were later dubbed "the Rains of Destruction."

The Rains were said to last for days, killing millions, even sealing the fate of two of the Gigas. In the land of the Blue Moon, one of the stones collided with the opening on top of the volcano, setting off a chain reaction causing a giant eruption. Bluheim was badly injured after being nearly covered in the lava, and ended up encased in stone at the peak of the volcano. In the desert under the Red Moon, the hail of moonstones knocked Recumen unconscious, burying him under a vast layer of sand, lacking the power to escape.

But even after the Rains' end, three of the Gigas still remained. The ancients of the Silver Civilization, known as Silvites, had ascended to a point above the Rains, avoiding the fate of the many others. They themselves decided to take the responsibility of sealing away the remaining Gigas. First, they set out to the land of the Green Moon, where Grendel still raged on without anyone to control him, and the population down to very few tribes of savages. The Silvites managed to put Grendel into a slumber, and buried him beneath an ancient Shrine. Yeligar also wandered without a master in his home under the Yellow Moon. The Silvites also put him in a state of slumber and, knowing the capabilities of his power, placed a seal around him that was virtually unbreakable by man. No one knows what happened to Plergoth. It is rumored he may still wander the sky even now.

As for their own Gigas, not wanting to let its power to be used by anyone, they sealed him within Soltis, and sank Soltis itself beneath the clouds. The sinking of the continent created massive changes in weather patterns. Sky rifts, almost impassable air currents that could rip airships apart if they dare tried, were formed. These sky rifts separated people from the rest of the world, creating physical barriers between nations. There was also a strange sky rift known as the Dark Rift, a large, black sky rift where it is said to be darker than night within. This created an impassable barrier between the east and west edges of the world. Many a sailor has tried to pass through it, and few have ever returned. It is still shrouded in mystery even today.

The survivors of each land hid the Moon Crystals in what they felt was the safest and most appropriate place for them, with the exceptions of the Yellow and Purple civilizations, who had already placed their crystals within their Gigas.

After sealing away the Gigas, the Silvites returned to their shrine above the clouds, and allowed the people to rebuild their lost lands.

Much time has passed since then, and few people even know of this story. But now the Gigas threaten the world once again. Corrupted nations have begun searching for the Moon Crystals in an attempt to revive the Gigas. The fate of the world is in new hands; people that know nothing of the Gigas may now become their newest victims.

Next: Chapter 1: Beginnings, Looking to the Past


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings, Looking to the Pa...

Chapter 1: Beginnings, Looking to the Past

The world…looks so peaceful now. People say that you can't live in the past, but if all you can do is look upon the world and reminisce, there is really no other place to live. You spend all your time wondering what could have happened if you did something different, or if you had taken the time to do something you should have. Every second that passes by becomes part of the past, and once that second passes, there is nothing you can do to change what you did for that second.

But that is still all in the past. My time in the Great Silver Shrine seems like a faint memory now…

Ever since I was a boy, I can remember fighting. I was in training to become a warrior, although I had no idea why. Everything was peaceful in the Great Silver Shrine. Silvites lived amongst themselves, and conflicts rarely broke out. If they ever did, they were small, and almost never ended in physical confrontation.

All I had ever known was the training. I am not even sure if I have parents. The Elders had always been like my guardians, teaching me and giving me the guidance and help I needed. I hadn't ever had anyone besides the elders, so I have little idea what it would be like to have parents who took care of me.

Often, after I had finished my training, I would go to the top of the shrine, and just stare at the moon, sometimes for hours. You would think after growing up under its light my entire life, looking at it would become a normal thing. But its beauty has never ceased to amaze me. The aura of its sheer beauty was mesmerizing, and I was so close—I felt I could almost touch it.

"Ramirez?" The voice startled me; I was so focused on the moon that I had forgotten anything else existed. I turned around, and there was a young girl standing there.

"Oh it's just you, Fina." Fina was a pretty girl with long blonde hair and the mark of the Elders on her forehead. She always wore a silver veil on her head that covered her hair. It gave her a sort elegance that I always liked about her.

"What were you doing all the way up here?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, just daydreaming I guess." I had always thought of Fina as more of a sister than as just a friend. She usually came to me when something was troubling her, and I always put whatever I was doing aside to help her. She had a sweet, innocent personality that made her hard not to like, you could see it in her big, blue eyes. She began walking towards the edge of the shrine.

"Fina…?" I ran to catch up to her, and when I did, we were at the very edge. She was looking down; she seemed focused on something. Curious, I looked down as well.

It was Arcadia, the world of great blue skies and constantly shifting clouds and rifts. But within all that lay a world a great diversity, each part of the world having its own traditions and cultures, yet none of them knowing of this shrine.

"That's where Soltis used to be, isn't it Ramirez?" She was looking straight down, where the Silver Moon shined its light upon the people living there.

"Yes, it's said that this shrine used to be a part of Soltis, and managed to separate from it and flee here to safety before the great catastrophe." I didn't know much about Soltis, aside from that it was the continent where Silvites lived in ancient times, and that the legendary creature of destruction, Zelos, slumbered there.

Suddenly, there was a chirping sound that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"What is it Cupil?" Fina said looking at the silver bracelet on her wrist. "It's ok Cupil, it's just Ramirez and me, no one's going to hurt you." The bracelet began to move, and all of a sudden a creature popped up from out of it.

"Oh, I didn't know you had Cupil with you." Cupil was Fina's pet. It could morph into just about anything imaginable, but most of the time it was in the shape of the bracelet and rested on Fina's wrist. But its true form was a ball-like creature with a short, curled tail.

"Cupil and I are rarely apart, you should know that by now." She was right, there have been very few times that I have seen her without Cupil. And most of them were when he wandered off looking for food.

Fina looked down again. I could tell she was deep in thought.

"Ramirez…do you ever wonder what's, you know, down there?" You could see the curiosity and wonder in her eyes as she looked down upon the world.

"Of course I do. I don't think there's anyone alive that doesn't want to discover what lies beyond what they know. If I could go down there and see what it's like, you wouldn't be able to stop me for anything."

I didn't know it at the time, but when I was wondering what lay in the world, there was a young, high-spirited air pirate named Vyse wondering what was beyond the world he lived in. He always wondered what lay beyond the sunset… It was almost like we knew what the other desired to know.

"Ramirez?" I snapped back in reality and saw Fina standing there looking at me.

"Oh, sorry, I must have dazed off there for a second" I said smiling. I turned around. "Come on, we should get going. We can't stay up here forever you know. Besides, we can always come back here again."

Fina and I both went back into the shrine and went to bed. As I lay in bed trying to sleep my thoughts still wandered around what the world below might be like. I had heard stories about it, stories about how people lived in harmony with the animals surrounding them, and stories about massive wars that threatened to wipe out their entire population.

But these were still only stories, I knew that if I ever wanted to know what the world was truly like, I would have to go down there and see it with my own two eyes.

Next: Chapter 2: My Mission, Is This My Purpose?


	3. Chapter 2: My Mission, Is This My Purpos...

Chapter 2: My Mission, Is This My Purpose?

Many years had passed since that day, and I continued with my training. Normally training becomes easier as you do more of it and get used to it, but not for me. I did the best I could to push myself even harder every day. My body gave out long before my mind or spirit did. If it were not for this training I do not think I would have become nearly as strong as I did. I was undoubtedly one of the best warriors in the shrine, but I did my best to stay true to my heart. I would not let this power go to my head.

Then, one day…

I was called to the Chamber of Elders, a place in the heart of the shrine where the Silvite Elders resided. I had never gone in there myself, and I had always considered it to be an honor to be able to enter it. My heart raced with excitement, yet there was a trace of fear there too. Fear of not knowing what might happen next. The Elders were the most revered people in the shrine, what did they want with me? I was just a warrior after all; there was not much I could do for them in a place where everything was peaceful.

Before I could go, I felt I just had to tell someone. I decided to go up to Fina's room to see if she was there. I arrived at her door there and knocked.

"Fina, are you in there?" I asked. I heard what sounded like footsteps.

"Who is it?" answered Fina.

"It's me, Ramirez. Open the door; I have something I want to tell you." It wasn't long before the door opened.

"Oh? What is it?" she asked as she motioned for me to enter. I made my way to her bed, sat down, and told her about the being called to the Chamber of Elders.

"Really? Wow…I can't imagine being called to the Chamber of Elders. What do you think they want you for?"

"I truly have no idea. They might be in need of my skills as a warrior, but I can't imagine why." A million thoughts started racing through my head at once. The possibilities seemed infinite. Eager to find out, I stood up, and walked toward the door.

"I should get going" I said. "If it is something important, I shouldn't keep the Elders waiting."

"I understand," she replied, "but be sure to come back and tell me all about it once you're done." She looked at me and smiled, and I couldn't help but smile too.

"There's no way I wouldn't, Fina." I exclaimed. "I had enough trouble keeping my excitement contained before I even went. I can't imagine what it will feel like after." Eager to get going, I closed the door behind me and head to my destination.

After a bit of walking, I reached what were known as the "sacred steps." As children, we had always been told never to go up them, as they led to the Chamber of Elders. No one was ever to go up them unless summoned to. I took a deep breath, and began climbing. It took a while to get to the top, I guess if children ever did think about climbing the steps they would be scared off by the height they would have to climb to. When I finally did reach the top, I couldn't believe my eyes…

"Wha-What is this?" I mumbled.

What I saw was like a giant maze, in fact, that is exactly what it was. I looked around a bit, and saw that there was a building in the center, which I was guessing was the end. But there was one thing that was strange, the door was upside down! How was anyone supposed to get in there? As I looked around some more, I saw that there were parts of the maze that went straight up and straight down. Straight up was mildly reasonable, but straight down?

"Do you not have faith in the power of the Elders?" The voice came out of nowhere. It was an old, deep voice that continued to echo in my head. I looked around frantically trying to figure out where it came from. Nervous, I took a step back.

"Who's there?" I shouted.

"Do not fear" said the voice. "Now, allow me to guide you through this maze. Believe in me, and you will not become lost."

It was a strange phenomenon; I was not exactly sure what I should do. After thinking it over for a moment, I gulped, and stepped into the maze.

Once I began, however, it was like I knew exactly where to go next every time. I instinctively turned left, right, right, left, never hesitating until I reached what seemed like a dead end.

"Huh?" I said. "What do I do now?"

"Have faith in me," echoed the voice. "Step forward."

I didn't know what to believe now. Surely he didn't want me to fall. Once again, I gulped, and stepped forward. I couldn't help but keep my eyes closed. I took three…no, four steps before I wondered why I hadn't fallen. I opened my eyes, and saw I was in a completely different maze. Well, at least the floor color was different. No, I was in the same maze, something else had happened. Then it hit me. I was walking _underneath_ the maze I was just walking through. I didn't know what was happening, but I decided to move on.

I once again started moving instinctively through the maze. And when I came to a part that led straight up, I didn't hesitate to keep moving. When I went forward, it was like I was constantly on a flat surface, even though I knew I wasn't. It was hard to explain, but I came to the conclusion that gravity had no effect in this maze.

It took a long time, but I finally reached the door. I hadn't comprehended the size of the door when I first saw it at the beginning of the maze, but it was well beyond 3 times my size. Before I could lay a finger on it, the door began to open, revealing a circle of light.

"Step into the circle," the voice commanded.

The voice had guided me this far, I had no reason not to trust it now. I stepped into the circle, and when I reached the center, light began to surround me, and before I knew it, I had been teleported to an entirely different place.

My breath was taken away when I saw where I had been transported. The walls were made of pure marble, and the walls were nearly covered in jewels. Along the walls were large, clear crystals in which I could see something floating inside.

"Welcome, Ramirez. This is the Chamber of Elders." It was the same voice as before, but it was closer this time. I looked around trying to figure out where it came from, when something started emerging from one of the crystals. The figure began taking shape… it was a person!

"Are…you…?"

"Yes," the figure replied. "I am the voice that guided you here. I am Elder Prime." I began to see more details of the person. He was an old man, with a long silver beard. He was wearing some sort of silver robe, and in place of legs he had some sort of spiraling object that allowed him to float in mid-air.

As he said this, more figures began appearing from the other crystals. More people looking almost exactly like the first. 'So these are the Elders…' I thought to myself.

"Elders…" I quickly got down on one knee and bowed my head, "It is an honor to be in your presence."

"Please, stand up," said Elder Prime. "There is no need for you to bow; we are the ones who called you here. Now, I suppose you are wondering why we did so."

"Yes, in fact I was." I got up on two feet, and looked into his eyes. They were eyes full of wisdom, almost as if they knew all the secrets of the world…. And yet, they seemed troubled.

"Well then, listen carefully," he said in a firm tone, "You are about to have a lot to take in"

I listened intently as he told the story about the Moon Crystals, Gigas, and Rains of Destruction. I listened intently through the entire story, which must have taken hours to explain. However, as interesting as it all was, it did not explain why they had called for me.

"Elder," I said, "if I may be so bold, what does this all have to do with me? All the Gigas are sealed away, are they not?"

"Yes, I was getting to that. You see, this knowledge has long since become scarce, but the legend of the Gigas has survived on the wind's breath. The people who heard this legend became intrigued in the Gigas' power, and set out to find out if it was nothing more than a legend. Foolish individuals began searching for the Moon Crystals, and followed whatever information they had about their locations. Some died before they found any of this information, while others were killed by the ancient guardians of their hidden locations.

We let this go for a long time, figuring no one would ever be strong enough to reclaim them. But now we fear that this information has spread to military powers who will stop at nothing to find them. We want you to find them first to prevent anyone else from using the power of the Gigas for their own purposes."

I was shocked, they wanted me to actually go down onto the world—a world I knew almost nothing about—and fight military powers to reclaim the Moon Crystals. I knew it must be a dire situation for them to call upon me to fulfill this mission.

"But," I remarked, "you said that no one has ever found the locations and survived, how will I ever find them all?"

"Do not fear, we already have the Silver Crystal in our possession, and I will bestow upon you the locations of the five remaining crystals. Each Crystal is hidden under the moon it draws power from. The Red Crystal is hidden in a temple lying in the middle of a desert. The ancients called it the 'Temple of Pyrynn.' You will recognize it by its pyramid shape and the heads of Recumen resting just before it.

The Green Crystal is believed to be located in a shrine in the ancient capital city of Rixis somewhere in the mountains of Ixa'Taka. That is where the Silvites placed it, at least. Whether it has been moved we do not know.

The Yellow Crystal lies beneath the Maw of Tartas, an unbreakable seal placed on the Yellow Gigas; we made it unbreakable because we did not want anyone to get inside, even we are not sure how to break it.

The Blue Crystal lies within the depths of Mount Kazai, a long inactive volcano. The Blue Gigas should be there as well, so be careful in handling the crystal.

The Purple Crystal was implanted in an archwhale to transform him into the Gigas. If Plergoth is still alive, then the Crystal is with him.

This will be your only chance, if you wish to back out, please say so now."

Many thoughts and emotions ran through my head. I had always wanted to see what was in the world below, but doing so could cost me my life…. And yet, there was no hesitation.

"I proudly accept" I said. "I swear to you I will not fail in gathering the Crystals." Elder Prime nodded.

"Very well then," he replied, "return to your quarters and prepare for your departure. You will leave tomorrow."

The same light from before began to surround me. Just before I was transported away, I noticed a vent near the top of the room. I guess even the Elders needed to breathe, seeing as there weren't any other openings in the chamber.

Next: Chapter 3: The Truth…What Are They Hiding?


	4. Chapter 3: The Truth, What Are They Hidi...

Chapter 3: The Truth...What are they Hiding?

When the light cleared, I was back in front of the sacred steps. I didn't know what to feel, my lifelong dream was coming true, and I was going to put my life on the line to do it.

And yet...something was wrong. It was something that Elder Prime said that made me wonder... "We want you to find them first, to prevent anyone else from using the power of the Gigas for their own purposes." Anyone _else_? Did they have a use for the Moon Crystals? What could they possibly need the Gigas for? I didn't know what it was exactly, but that one little sentence gave me a feeling that they were holding something back from me. I knew they must have had their reasons, but I had it set in my head that nothing would keep me from finding the truth...but how?

My mind flashed back to the vent in the chamber. Surely it led to a point outside it. If I could make my way back and find that point, I could crawl through and find the truth!

Remembering my promise, I ventured back to Fina's room to tell her what had happened with the Elders.

As I walked down the narrow hallway colored in silver, my mind was racing with what the Elders could be hiding. How could they keep _anything_ from me when they were asking me to put my life at risk. Still confused, I made my way to Fina's door and knocked.

"Fina, it's Ramirez, I'm back from my meeting with the Elders." The door was open within 2 seconds of my knocking.

"Ramirez!" she said excitedly, "Come in, tell me what happened!"

"Wow..." I said as a smile came across my face, "you seem more exited about this than I do."

"Of course, you actually know what happened. I'm the one still wondering." She grabbed my arm and began to pull me towards her bed.

"Now stay right there," she said turning towards the door, "I'm going to get a drink of water. You better not leave before I come back!"

"Don't worry" I replied with a slight laugh, "I won't." She left and closed the door behind her.

I began to look around and take in my surroundings. The white walls, a set of drawers where she kept her clothes, the mirror on top of that, the table with a stuffed doll and a vase with a single flower sitting on top, and the bed I was sitting on, with the silver colored base and white sheets and pillows.

After a short time, she finally returned.

"I'm back" She walked through the door with a half empty glass of water in her hand and sat down at the table.

"Alright, now tell me everything, don't leave out anything." Seeing how truly excited she was for me, I explained to her what the Elders wanted me to do, without going into detail about the Gigas, as opposed to what she had said. I didn't think she needed to know everything.

"It looks like my dream is finally coming true, Fina. I'm finally going to get to see the world!" She looked at me through her mirror in amazement. I hadn't thought about how my leaving would affect her.

"Wow... I don't know what to say... I'm happy for you of course but..." A look of sadness came across her face, she looked away trying to hide it from me. "I'll miss you."

"Fina..." I went to her side to try and comfort her, "It's going to be ok. I promise I'll see you again, nothing will stop me."

She stroked her hand through my hair. "Look in the mirror, this is how I'll always remember you, until I see you again." I looked in the mirror and began to examine the long white haired figure standing there. The thin, yet muscular person clothed in white with gold stripes along the neck collar and waist.

My leaving had made me start examining everything, even little details I had never noticed before, like cracks in the roof and the echo footsteps had as I was walking. This is what I'd be leaving behind, left with the hope that I'd return one day.

"Don't ever forget me, okay Ramirez?" I drifted back into reality to see Fina still standing by my side, just short of letting out a tear. I gave out a smile of reassurance.

"Of course I'll never forget you. I'll think about you every day. But right now I need to get some rest, I have a big day ahead of me."

"I understand," she said and nodded "you can't be exhausted for something like this now can you?"

"I probably won't be able to get much sleep anyway, but I'll do the best I can." Fina and I both laughed and I went to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Fina." With that, I closed the door behind me. I set out on a fast pace towards my own room. I had a big night ahead of me as well.

That night, I lay in my bed with my eyes open for what seemed like hours. When I felt the time was right, I got out of bed, and began to head back to the sacred steps.

"Rami..rez?" My heart stopped for a moment, if I was caught, I may never have gotten a chance to see the world. When I was finally able to move again, I turned around to see who it was. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Fina, it's just you. What are you doing up?"

"I heard footsteps," she said rubbing her eyes "so I decided to see who it was. Where are you going?"

"I have something I need to take care of, please, go back to bed, and don't tell anyone about this." I had known Fina long enough to trust her with this, so, with that, I continued my path to the steps.

When I finally reached them, there was no hesitation in my mind. I began to move up swiftly and quietly. After I finished climbing, I immediately began moving through the maze. It wasn't as smooth as when I had gone through it earlier, but I managed to get to the end.

At the end of the maze, I instantly began looking for another vent. I saw it above and to the right of the door. I used the carvings sculpted into the side of the building to climb to it, and opened it as quietly as I could.

The vent was barely big enough for me to fit through, and I had much trouble trying to maneuver myself through the turns. Not to mention I could barely see what was in front of me. I began to ask myself 'What have I gotten myself into?' but I knew I had to find out no matter what.

After a while of crawling, I began to see a light coming from one direction. Seeing no other choices, I decided to head for it. As I got closer to it, I began to hear voices, voices that sounded like those of the Elders. I slowed down my movement in fear of being heard, but I kept a steady pace towards the light.

I continued crawling until I reached the source of the light. When I looked down, I knew immediately where I was. I was back in the Chamber of Elders, looking down from the vent I had saw earlier. The Elders seemed to be discussing something.

"Do you honestly believe it was right to deceive the boy like this?"

"We must do whatever it takes to achieve our goal. If that means a bit of deception, so be it. If it means reviving Zelos and calling down the Rains of Destruction once again, so be it. Those people down there...poisoning the rich soil with their lies. For the good of the world, they must be eliminated. The boy is too pure of heart to understand why we are doing this."

"But he has never questioned us before, what makes you think he would now?"

"I won't take that chance. He's the best warrior we have, if he was to refuse then the world would be in more trouble than if we were to take its fate into our hands."

I had heard enough. I was right, they were keeping something from me. So my purpose wasn't just to prevent the Gigas from falling into the wrong hands...rather make sure they were in the right hands. I never imagined that Zelos had the power to destroy the entire world.

I didn't know what to think, but I trusted the Elders' judgment. With that, I started to slowly work my way back out. I found a space to turn around, and I began to retrace my steps, first out of the chamber, out of the maze, and back to my quarters seemingly without getting caught. I wasn't sure if my actions had gone unnoticed, I knew Fina had spotted me, but there was nothing I could do now. Tomorrow I would set out for the world below. Exhausted, I closed my eyes and almost immediately fell asleep.

Next: Chapter 4: My Journey Begins, Steps Towards Destiny


	5. Chapter 4: My Journey Begins, Steps Towa...

  
Chapter 4: My Journey Begins, Steps Towards Destiny 

That morning, still half asleep, I heard my door open and what I thought sounded like high heels.

"Ramirez, come on, time to wake up." The person started shaking me slowly. After my adventure the night before, the last thing I wanted to do was wake up and go on an even bigger adventure.

I groaned, slowly turned over, and opened my eyes.

When my vision finally cleared, I saw Fina standing there, looking at me and smiling.

"Ramirez, it's the big day. You can't just sleep through it."

I slowly began to lift myself up from the bed, fighting the urge to just drop back down and go back to sleep. When I finally managed to lift myself up, I swung my feet onto the floor and rested my head on my hands. I could barely keep my eyes open as I lifted my head up to look at Fina.

"Hi Fina" I said with a slight groan.

"Well good morning to you too" she replied with a chuckle, "I thought I should come and make sure you woke up. It seems it's a good thing I did."

I let out a sarcastic grin and told her I should prepare for my departure. She nodded and began towards the door.

"Ramirez, try not to go back to sleep okay?" she said as she stepped out the door, "I'll come back to check on you in a little while to make sure." She left and closed the door behind her.

I stayed sitting on my bed for a moment, occasionally yawning and trying to get my mind focused. After a while I stood up from the bed and walked towards my dresser to get a fresh set of clothes.

As I began to remove my shirt, I heard a voice calling out to me.

"Are you ready, Ramirez?" the voice said in a deep tone. I was shocked at first, but I soon realized whom it was talking to me.

"Is that you, Elder?"

"Indeed, Ramirez. Are you ready to begin your journey?"

It seemed as though he hadn't realized I had heard his conversation the night before, and I couldn't help but feel relieved. As long as he didn't know about that everything would continue along rather smoothly.

"Almost, Elder," I replied trying to act normal, "I just have to finish up some minor things."

"Hmm...minor things...alright. Come to the bottom of the shrine when you are ready." After that, I felt his presence leave. I breathed another sigh of relief, finished changing, and proceeded out to the bottom of the shrine as the Elder instructed.

When I had gone as far down as I could go, I saw that there was no one there. As I began to ponder, a circle of light appeared, much like the one in the Chamber of Elders. As if from experience, I immediately stepped toward and then stepped into the circle, and was transported somewhere else.

When the light cleared, I looked around to get a sense of where I was. As I looked up, I saw Arcadia above me. But Arcadia was below the shrine...that could only mean...I was standing on the bottom of the shrine! When I looked around some more, I saw something floating just past the edge, and decided to check it out. What I saw was the dark gray, gold-striped, crescent shaped object with a set of controls in a basin located on the top. It was sleek looking, and seemed to be fully functioning...as something.

"Get in" the Elder's voice called out. I did so, and stared at the wheel and what I later learned was a pressure gauge.

"This is your ship. Use it to move throughout the world below." I continued examining it, trying to get an idea of the structure and build of the ship.

"Elder," I asked, "How exactly does this ship propel?"

"It responds to your emotions. Once you activate it, you must only think of moving forward, and it will react. To activate it, just turn the black switch in front of you." I looked at the control panel, and saw a small, black object thrusting out from the rest of the surrounding controls. I turned it 90 degrees clockwise, and the ship started to make an odd buzzing sound. I was startled a bit, but I soon realized it was nothing to worry about.

"Now, Ramirez, you must wish to move forward!" I didn't understand how it could possibly react to my thoughts, but I decided to give it a shot. Before I really began to concentrate, the ship started to move. Sooner than I could realize I was even moving, I was speeding towards Arcadia.

"Good luck, Ramirez. Do not fail us!" I then felt the presence of the Elder fade away again, but it felt more...permanent this time. As I watched the image of the Great Silver Shrine fade away, I turned around and set my sights on my destination: Arcadia.

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It was dark when I landed; the Silver Moon's light which had always lit up the shrine seemed to have a smaller effect on the surface without the sun. I decided it would be in my best interest to keep a slow pace until the sun rose again.

Then...**BANG**! I heard a thunderous noise coming from somewhere nearby. An explosion? I was thrust into a panic, as I didn't know what was going on.

In the midst of my confusion...**BANG**! Another explosion came, this time with a blinding flash of light. I did everything I could to get my ship away from what was happening.

But my attempt was futile, as I tried to get the ship into gear...**BANG**! There was a third explosion, and I blacked out.

I came back into consciousness just long enough to hear people nearing my ship and discussing something.

"Hey, Cap'n, looks like those concussion shells did a number on 'em."

"Hrmph, seems like he got nothin but the clothes on his back and the ship he was flyin."

"Leave him be then. Even we Black Pirates got a sense of decency. I ain't one who's gonna leave someone stranded somewhere without nothin, especially someone in the condition we left 'em."

After that, I blacked out once again.

When I awoke, I was lying in a bed in a room with walls painted green. A man in a white coat was standing over me and looking at some sort of chart. He was of medium size with short, brown hair, and some sort of dot in the middle of his forehead.

"Ah good, you're awake," the man said looking up at me from his chart. "You were in pretty bad shape when we found you, but it looks like you're coming along well. You're very physically fit."

My head was throbbing; I looked down and saw my clothes were badly torn. I couldn't remember what had happened for a moment. Then it occurred to me, I must have been attacked by those men who I heard around my ship earlier. I then looked up at the man and gave him a blank stare.

"How do you feel?" he said look at me as if he were trying to evaluate my condition. I continued to stare.

"Do you understand what I am saying?" I let out a slow nod and he gave me a puzzled look.

"Hmm, it may just be some trauma. I'll be back in a bit to check up on you, try and get some rest until then." He put his chart down on a desk and walked out the room.

I began looking around the room trying to get a sense of where I was. There were many drawers, cabinets, and pieces of odd machinery. The machines were making a humming noise that made it nearly impossible for me to fall asleep, so I decided to sit up and think.

I began to contemplate what I would do if they started to question me, I couldn't very well tell them the truth, not that they would likely believe me if I did. I also couldn't make a break for it, seeing as how I had no clue where I was much less the location of my ship. I decided to lay low, gather information, and let them know as little about me as possible before I could form a new and, hopefully, better plan.

The man in the white coat came back in a while later, and asked me to do some strange things such as follow his finger and tell him how many fingers he was holding up.

"Well, it looks as if you came through with just some bumps and bruises, you were lucky we found you." I was still woozy, but I managed to get out a sentence.

"What...happened?"

"Hmm, so you can speak." He replied, "Well, from what we saw, it looked as if you were attacked by Air Pirates, Black Pirates at that."

"Air...Pirates?" I replied confusedly. He gave me a surprised look as if it was something I should know.

"Are you telling me you were traveling all alone and you don't know what Air Pirates are?" I looked down and tried to think of the best response possible.

"It's...my first time traveling." I finally blurted out.

"Ah, well, hmm..." He put his hand on his chin and began to explain, "Well, Air Pirates are basically groups of people that attack and raid other ships. Black Pirates are especially dangerous; because they'll attack almost anything they see as a target. There are also Blue Rouges, which are more of a nuisance than anything. They especially love to attack ships of the Valuan Armada."

"...Valuan?" I interrupted. I began to realize how little I knew about the world that I had come into.

"You're saying you don't know what Valua is!?! Where do you come from that you wouldn't know that?"

"Where I come from...I had little contact with the rest of the world." I replied still trying to keep my identity and mission undercover.

"It would seem so..." He reached for a chair, pulled it over to him, and sat down beginning to explain to me about the place known as Valua.

"Well, the first thing you should know is what Valua is. Valua is a country on the middle continent, which lies under the Yellow Moon; you could almost say it is a military nation. The queen is the ruler of all that goes on in Valua, followed closely by highly ranked military officials, especially the Admirals. Right now, you're on the flagship of Admiral Mendosa, he is a kind man, as well as a military genius. This ship is called the "Aquila," one of the head ships of the Valuan Armada, Valua's elite fleet of warships. We found you coming back from negotiations in Nasrad, a city under the Red Moon.

...But this is a lot of information for you to take in all at once, you need to get some rest."

After hearing all of this, I couldn't possibly just sit down. I needed to do something, I wasn't sure what, I just knew there was something I needed to do.

Suddenly, I uttered out: "I want to meet this Mendosa person." I figured I could probably get more from him than I could from the man in front of me if all he said about him was true.

"You really should get some re—"

"I demand to see him!" I screamed.

"...Alright...I'll go get him." He got up, walked toward the door, but stopped short and turned back around. "You can call me Doc by the way. It's not my real name, just a nickname I got on the ship. I am the doctor after all."

"...I'm...Ramirez." The man seemed friendly enough that I could at least entrust him with my name, he had given up much information to me already.

"Ramirez, huh? Well, rest up until I get back. I'll see what I can't do about the Admiral." With that, he walked out and closed the door behind him.

So here I was: in a strange place, no place to run, and little plan of what to do next. The situation looked dire, and it seemed much of what would happen would depend on Admiral Mendosa...

Next: Chapter 5: Valua, The Rising Empire


	6. Chapter 5: Standards of Men

Chapter 5: Standards of Men 

So there I lay in an uncomfortable bed with sheets covering the lower half of my body. I would have fallen asleep, but even my fatigue couldn't overcome the humming of the machines and the rhythmic throbbing coming from inside my head. I decided I should contemplate what exactly I should say to this Mendosa person. Certainly he would want to know who I was, where I came from…what had I done? Certainly no "military genius" would just give up information without getting it first…

Unfortunately, my contemplation was short-lived. During my contemplation, I heard footsteps echoing from outside the door. It seemed as though Doc didn't have much trouble getting Mendosa to see me after all. It appeared as though I would have to improvise.

The door opened, and Doc walked in. Behind him was a medium-built man, with balding brown hair, but with a thin grayish-brown beard that covered most of his chin and above his lip. He wore a blue jacket with various medals and golden shoulder plates, with a red shirt underneath. He walked through the door with his white-gloved hands clenched together behind his back.

"Ramirez," Doc began, "this is Admiral Mendosa. Sir, this is Ramirez."

" 'Tis a pleasure," he said in a rough, yet calm voice.

"Likewise," I muttered in reply.

"Haha, it seems you've got a talker here!" he said to Doc.

"He's suffering from a bit of trauma," Doc replied. "Please, try not to pressure him too much." I had a sudden urge to jump up from the bed and hug Doc. He may have just given me something to fall back on so that I could get through this conversation.

Mendosa sat down on the bed beside me. "Alright, alright, I'll try. So…Ramirez, was it?" I nodded and he continued on, "Okay, Ramirez. What would you like to ask of me? I hear you made quite a fuss just to get me here."

I jostled a bit and sat myself up straight. I took one of the pillows, set it in an upright position behind me, and leaned back on it. Once I had achieved a minimal level of comfort, I began to state my case.

"Sir Admiral," I began, "although I have attained a small bit of knowledge concerning where I am and how I got here, I know next to nothing about 'Valua' and its supposedly great Armada. If you could pass on some of your knowledge to me, I would be greatly appreciative." After I had finished my query, Mendosa expressed the exact same countenance the doctor had shown when I asked him about Valua.

"How does one not know anything about Valua or Armada?" asked the Admiral in a confused manner.

"He appears to know very little about the world in general, m'lord," replied the doctor, who once again had saved me from a tight spot. Admiral Mendosa pondered for a moment at the thought, possibly contemplating where someone could come from that they know nothing about the world.

"Hmm…" he muttered. "One cannot explain in words a world such as this; you must experience it with your own eyes. Doc, is the boy stable enough to walk?"

"I'm not sure," replied the doctor, "possibly…"

"Good!" interrupted the admiral. "Ramirez, right? Come with me" He offered his hand out to me, and I assumed he wanted to take mine. I grabbed his hand, and to my surprise, he jerked me out of the bed in which I was lying. I shuffled my feet on the floor, attempting to regain my balance.

"Sorry," said the Admiral, "didn't mean to catch you off guard." I let out a forced grin in an attempt to show I was fine, which I was…barely.

"Be careful, m'lord" uttered the doctor. "He's still in a fragile state." Ignoring the doctor's advice, Mendosa motioned for me to follow him as he stepped toward the exit. I obeyed and silently followed him. Beyond the doors lied hallways colored in a grotesque shade of green with various portraits of formal admirals and family of Mendosa.

"Can you fight?" he asked in a calm manner. I was a bit shocked at first, but after a minute, it made sense. He was a military man after all; he was probably looking to recruit me into his forces.

'What a perfect opportunity!' I thought to myself. 'If I can become one of his soldiers, I can become part of the society in this world!'

"Yes," I replied, "but I am injured. I may not be able to fight at one hundred percent of my ability."

"That's perfectly fine" he said. "Anyone who can come away from being attacked by Black Pirates in a tiny unarmed ship such as yours barely scratched is good enough to work with me." I continued walking beside him down various nearly identical hallways until we reached a door that seemed of interest to him. He told me to wait where I was until he returned, and entered the door. He emerged shortly after accompanied by a medium-sized man dressed in, at the time, the strangest apparel I had ever seen. It was armor, made of hard metal, colored light green, and shaped to fit the body perfectly, except for the head. The head piece was made of a large cylinder with a pointed front side, and had five thin vertical openings going down the front, with a horizontal crease running down the center.

"Ramirez," said the Admiral, "I would like you to meet one of our new recruits. He's showing great potential already." The soldier quickly saluted me without a word, and Mendosa laughed. "He's a quiet one, don't worry about that. Now, both of you follow me." He led us a little ways up the same hallway until we reached another door with a sign that said "Training Room." Mendosa opened the door and motioned for us to follow. I walked into the room, which was empty for the most part. There were a few shelves stocked with medicine and medical supplies and some metal closets. There was also a large rectangle on the floor divided into two squares. The walls were painted beige with paintings of soldiers hanging from them.

"Alright, Ramirez, go over there," he said motioning me to the far end of the rectangle. "Ramon, you go here," he continued, pointing to the opposite end of the rectangle. "Now let's see what you can do, Ramirez."

"You want me to fight him?" asked the soldier confusedly.

"Of course," replied Mendosa. "What did you think I brought you here for?"

"Well…I…." The soldier sighed and hung his head. "Should I remove my armor?"

"I'll be fine" I interrupted.

"Very well then," said Mendosa. "Are you each ready?" We both nodded simultaneously in response. "Ready…Go!"

I quickly took a defensive stance, assuming he would go on the attack first. I was right, and the soldier began to clumsily charge towards me. He put his head down in front of him in an attempt to ram into me. Realizing he probably couldn't see me from behind his helmet, I simply jumped sideways out of the way of his running path. He went right past me and collided into the wall. The shelves and paintings shook upon the impact, and the soldier slowly slipped down the wall and onto the floor. Somewhat embarrassed, I looked towards Mendosa, who chuckled a bit and looked at the soldier, who was endeavoring to lift himself up from the ground. He finally managed to do so, and after a second or to of holding his head, he turned to face me again. I retook my stance, and he came charging again.

This time around, however, the soldier raised his right arm in a fashion that suggested he would try and punch me. Eager to save him from embarrassment again, I raised my right leg, spun around, and delivered a blow to the left side of his helmet. The soldier went flying and crashed into a medicine shelf to the right of the Admiral. The shelf itself broke in half, and just about every bottle on it shattered into pieces, leaving shards of glass to fly in every direction. He once again peeled off the wall and fell onto the floor, leaving a large circular dent in the wall. Mendosa proceeded to shake him a few times, but the soldier remained still. He then took off his helmet, revealing his unconsciousness.

"Out cold…" uttered Mendosa. "Well, certainly didn't expect him to go down so quickly. You did a number on him, boy."

"With all due respect, sir," I said in reply, "he was rather weak. I felt as though I would fall over from embarrassment when he crashed into that wall." He put his hand on the soldier's neck in order to feel for a pulse.

"Well, he's alive at least" he said. "Guess I underestimated you. Hmm…." He stood up slowly, turned towards the door and began walking outside. "Wait here" he said just before closing the door, leaving me alone with the unconscious soldier.

About five minutes had passed, and the Admiral had still not returned. I decided I may as well do something in my time of waiting. Seeing the downed soldier in the corner of my eye, I noticed there were still some supplies in tact from his collision. I walked over to him and began looking through the containers. There were various bottles marked "peroxide" and "iodine," as well as some rather strange objects; blue sticks with cotton on both ends and extremely thin flashlights. Realizing I had no idea what any of these were for, I simply took a cloth, wet it with some water I found in a nearby bottle, and wiped the bloody face of the soldier.

Shortly after I had cleaned his face, Mendosa returned. This time he had another soldier by his side. There was something different about this one, however. He was of a significantly greater build; taller, more muscular, and an aura around him that suggested great confidence. His armor was also a metallic red, as opposed to the dull, faded green color of the downed soldier's.

"Ramirez," began Mendosa, "this is Julian. He's one of our veteran soldiers. Julian," he continued, turning to the soldier, "this is Ramirez. He claims I didn't give him enough of a challenge last time." The soldier's laugh echoed in his helmet as he looked at me. Seeing as how my clothes were still torn and I had bruises in various places, I probably didn't look like much of a challenge myself.

"Is that so?" asked the soldier in a deep, confident voice that reflected his persona. "Well, perhaps I can provide more of a contest for him." There was something disgusting about his personality; something that made me want to take away his ability to talk. It was not my nature to feel such hate for someone off a first impression, but that something about him really irked me…. I didn't know if it was his demeanor or just his arrogant attitude, I just knew this was where I'd have to prove myself.

I awoke from my train of thought when I heard a loud clatter from the corner of the room. I turned to see Mendosa searching through one of the closets adjacent to the no longer conscious soldier. He took two identical swords, one in each hand, and tossed one to each of us.

"Let's test your skills with a blade" said Mendosa, addressing me. "Just try not to kill him, okay? I don't want to lose one of my best soldiers." I unsheathed the sword a bit in order to analyze it. It was a bit dull and chipped; it had obviously been used many times without anyone resharpening it.

"You seem to be very confident in his abilities, m'lord," said the soldier. "Well, shall we get this started then?" I nodded, and we proceeded to take our respective positions on the floor. The admiral raised his right arm high in the air.

"Are you ready?" he asked both of us. We both nodded, not taking our eyes off each other. "Begin!"


	7. Chapter 6: Prove Yourself, Ramirez!

Chapter 6: The Determination of Worth—Prove Yourself, Ramirez!

I instantly took a stance, shifting my right side forward and laying my right hand on the hilt of the sword. The officer, Julian, did not follow. Rather, he stood still holding his sword by the sheath on his right side with his right thumb below the hilt, as though to flick it out of the sheath should the need arise. It was a standstill.

I took the moment to analyze the situation. Defensively, he had a large advantage. The only breeches in his armor were the five narrow, parallel openings on the helmet, presumably for air and sight. He was more built up in a muscular sense as well. Normally I would be able to overcome this obstacle with speed—the armor provided a significant detriment to his maneuverability—but I was still in a weakened state. I began to wonder if the doctor had the right idea about me taking it easy. I came to the conclusion that my sword would be useless for inflicting damage; if anything it would break when it came into contact with his armor. However, direct physical blows wouldn't fair much better. I lacked key information to come up with a sufficient plan. I would need to toy for a bit to examine his fighting style and find a weakness. I could already tell by the way he was holding the sheath that he was left handed, though I didn't know if that would help me.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Mendosa sitting with his hands folded, resting his chin on them. He was examining us as well. The intent look in his eye signaled that he was eagerly awaiting one of us to make a move. I decided to oblige. Staying low, I sprinted towards the officer and unsheathed my sword in a horizontal slash. He unenergetically countered by raising the sheath in the path of my sword and blocking it. I quickly spun around and slashed his other side, but when I looked again after turning around, he had simply moved his sheath to the other side.

This was not going to work. If I kept this up I would wear myself out. I needed a way to distribute the energy consumption between us. I looked up at his face and a plan struck. I leapt backwards twice and grabbed the sword with both hands. Charging again, I jumped as high as I could upwards, laid my left hand on the dull edge of the sword, and rained down on the officer. He quickly grabbed the sheath with both hands and raised it above his head to block the assault. Our swords clashed; the metallic clang seemed to echo on forever. I pushed myself back upwards and into a backwards flip. I landed upside-down on my knuckles and thrust my right foot into the bottom of his helmet, sending it airborne. The sound of the helmet falling to the ground was accompanied by the thud of my body toppling clumsily onto its side—landing on my knuckles was not the best idea. However, my theatrics had succeeded: I had uncovered a weak spot!

Kicking off the helmet revealed a stern figure of slightly above average height with chestnut hair and bangs that reached slightly above the eyebrows. His eyes were brown and somewhat narrow. His only other distinguishing feature was a scar running diagonally across his chin. His demeanor changed somewhat after knocking away his helmet. He seemed rather annoyed with me; he was finally ready to take me more seriously.

Suddenly, when I looked into his eyes after removing his helmet, an unfamiliar excitement came over me. It's hard to describe in words, like most emotions, if you could even call it that. His eyes, among other things, reflected experience. I wanted to fight him. It was an instinct I never truly felt surface in the isolation of the shrine, but it was there now, and it was time to feel its effects.

The officer was through playing games. He held the sword perpendicular to himself with his right hand and slowly unsheathed it with his left. His sword was noticeably less worn than my own. A disadvantage thought up by Mendosa? It mattered not; the officer was about to charge. He reached his right hand across his body, grabbed the sword with both hands and began a frontal assault. It wasn't all that much different from the brutish style of the grunt I had defeated earlier, though perhaps a little more refined and less maladroit. I ducked under the sword to dodge his first slash and jumped back to dodge the second come-around. I looked down to see a few silver locks lying on the floor—he had managed to slice off a bit of my hair.

I took my eyes off the floor and saw the brute charging again in an identical fashion. This time he came at me with a downward slash, at which point I quickly darted to my left. I continued avoiding his attacks, using the sword to block when the blows came too close. Even compared to my weakened state, his moves were slow, straightforward, predictable. But although I had exposed his head, and my feelings towards him were less than benevolent, I had no desire to kill him, though a blow to the head with the sword would have made short work of him. Still, there was no denying the force behind his blows, something I couldn't hope to match with the rest of his armor still in tact. He would wear me down eventually. It was time I made my assault.

I took my position about ten feet from where the officer was standing, at which point he came charging once again. I darted to the left once again save for my right leg, which I used to get inside the base of his ankle and trip him, which I followed with a blow to the back of the head using the base of the sword's hilt. He fell face-first onto the floor and I took two one-handed cartwheels another ten feet away from him. He grabbed the back of his head and slowly lifted himself with his other arm. I knew if I allowed him to do so it would only prolong the fight, so I dashed towards him, jumped, and stomped on his head and the hand that was rubbing it, once again sending his face into the floor. I then jumped backwards, reached down, grabbed his arm and put it behind his back, and pinned him to the ground.

"Give up" I demanded.

"Screw you" he retorted, turning his head to the side. His nose was a bright red—it had likely taken most of the force from those blows. He began to struggle, and I realized that this wasn't the best idea. I wouldn't be able to hold him for long; I probably couldn't even prevent him from lifting himself had I lain on top of him. Still, I thought, I had claimed the advantage. There was no point in letting go so easily. I tried hitting him a few times, but that only seemed to make him more determined. I decided a bluff was my best bet. I took my sword and pointed it down at an angle, with the tip mere inches from the officer's neck.

"Give up" I repeated.

"Screw. You." he said. He then summoned all of his strength into his free arm and used it to push himself up and throw me off. He landed on his feet, while I landed hard on my back. There was a sharp pain in my shoulder which I had little time to take notice of as the officer walked toward me with a rage that was steaming out of him. He quickly held his sword upside-down and thrust it with a force matching that of an intention to kill. I rolled out of the way and continued rolling until I attained enough space between us to retake my ground.

I stood up, and looked into the eyes of the officer. Only one word can possibly describe his expression: pissed. I often tend to avoid using that word, I find it vulgar and common, but if there is a better word to describe what I saw, then it does not exist in any language I speak. It was obvious to me at that point that I had only made him more determined.

He then did something unusual. He let out a smug smirk, and slowly allowed his sword to change hands. Mendosa smiled.

"I was wondering when you were going to stop treating this like a training exercise," remarked Mendosa. The officer lowered his head a bit and chuckled.

"Heh, I see now that I've been underestimating him a little," he replied. He then lifted his head up and saw the look of bewilderment on my face. "You look confused," he said to me, "allow me to explain. A warrior, no matter how skilled, is always in danger when he goes onto the battlefield. He must prepare for the worst; expect the unexpected, if you will. If your right arm is sliced off, and you cannot fight with your left, you will die. That is a fact of war. Admittedly, I wish to preserve my life." He then lifted the sword sideways to the level of his neck and grabbed the blade of the sword with his left hand. "That is why I have been training to become ambidextrous with a blade. It has been going well, but I'm sure you will realize that I am far stronger right handed."

I took his explanation as one of the worst I had ever heard for fighting blunders. However, my opinion changed when he charged again. His speed had not changed—he was still being weighed down by the large amount of armor he was still wearing—but the power behind his attacks had increased, and his accuracy had become far more deadly. I attempted to use both the sword and sheath as a dual shield of sorts, but the force of his strikes would have broken one of them, so I once again combined them to create a more stable defense.

"Giving up?" asked the officer when I sheathed my sword.

"Hardly" I replied. I realized I was once again in danger of being worn out from defending too long. Every failed attack only made him more determined. I needed to end it. At the time, I was near the wall with the medicine shelf that the soldier had crashed into earlier. He was gone; the Admiral must have removed him while I was focused on the officer. I looked down at the part of the shelf that was still standing, and had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was the best plan I had at the time.

"You want me to be serious?" I said to the officer, holding up the sheath. "Fine." I drew the sword and smashed it into the medicine shelf, spilling the contents of the bottles and giving newly broken pieces of glass residence on the ground.

"Trying to show off, are we?" asked the officer. "Fine then," he continued, taking a stance for the first time in the entire fight, "try me!" I wasted no time in doing so. Putting my front side forward, I rushed towards him, ready to strike at any moment. Rather than prepare to block my assault, however, he came at me with another downward slash, which I easily dodged. Before his could lift his sword again, I slashed at an upward angle, passing my sword directly in front of his eyes. The officer then stumbled back, dropped his sword, put his hands on his eyes and screamed in agony.

"You bastard!" he said between his unintelligible screams and other profanities.

"Don't blame me," I said, smiling. "I'm not the one who keeps sulfuric acid on a medicine shelf in a room meant for sparring matches." A look of seriousness returned to my face. I dropped my sword and began attacking him with an onslaught of kicks. He managed to block a few using his fists, but after a straight kick to the chest he was on the wall and at my mercy. About five blows to the head later, Mendosa spoke up.

"Enough, Ramirez!" he shouted. I turned towards the Admiral and the officer attempted to get in a few punches, which I stepped back to avoid. He continued punching the air, grunting each time he released his fist.

"Stop, Julian" Mendosa demanded. "The fight is over."

"He's a cheater! A damned cheater I tell you!" The officer attempted opening his eyes, but once again grabbed them in pain.

"I did no such thing," I spoke out. "The only rule was for me not to kill you, which I never had any intention of doing. Now, I suggest you wash your eyes before you are permanently blinded." The Admiral heard my advice and led the officer into a room through a door which I had not taken notice of until then. I heard the sound of running water and more screams from the burning sensation the officer was no doubt feeling. The Admiral reappeared.

"Not bad, Ramirez," he commented, "not bad at all." I thanked him for the compliment, and he offered to allow me into the Valuan Armada.

"I can't quite place my finger on it," said the Admiral, "but there is something about you that I like. It would please me greatly if you would join the Armada under my command."

"I would be honored, Lord Mendosa" I replied after a moment's hesitation.

"Great!" shouted Doc, who had been standing in the doorway. "I'm sure it will be great having your company here."

"It's settled then!" said Mendosa, thrusting his fist into his palm. "Welcome aboard, Ramirez."


	8. Chapter 7: On the Aquila

Surprise! Not dead… yet, anyway. My next task after this is to go back and revise earlier chapters. I decided this after, well, looking at them.

But for now, enjoy!

Chapter 7: On the Aquila

As Mendosa and the doctor offered me their congratulations, Julian reemerged from the washroom. He was stumbling, using one hand to cover his eyes and the other to guide his movements.

"Mendosa, sir!" he shouted, adding "sir" as a saveface after initially addressing the Admiral in such an informal manner. "How can you lavish him with such praise after what he did to me!?"

"Quiet!" replied the Admiral with a forceful sternness I had not yet seen from him. "Your actions today have been abominable. You had every intent of killing Ramirez with your assault, even when only using your other arm. You are an empty shell, a soldier who has been devoid of his humanity. You believe that you can kill someone just because he is weaker than you? You are a fool below pity." Mendosa sorrowfully turned to face the fallen soldier with his full figure. "Some violence is necessary in war, yes, but this was not war. No one has the right to unnecessarily claim a life. You may raid those who are defeated, you may enslave them, but you may not kill them. I hope you carry what happened today with you as a scar of your arrogance."

The Admiral's look spoke both of anger and disappointment. His speech to Julian had a profoundness to it that sparked in me a respect for him that would come to grow over time. He led me out of the room, and the doctor closed the door behind us. Seconds later, there was a large crash and a painful scream emanating from inside the room. The scream sent a shiver through me that rippled through my entire body. I knew somewhere in the depths of my mind that this would not be my last encounter with the soldier called Julian. I inquired as to whether or not I should be happy to be alive.

"No," replied the Admiral. "It's clear to me now that he was never a threat to you."

The next few months were rather uneventful. The time was spent in series of negotiations with Nasrian officials, negotiations which I was not permitted to see. Apparently I had been picked up at the beginning of a three-month venture. As such, I spent most of my time within the confines of the ship. I was briefed several times by my new superiors about rules and regulations along with some fiery speeches about what it meant to be a soldier in the Valuan Armada. By Mendosa's request, I was able to skip formal recruit training and go immediately to a position directly under the command of the Admiral, sparking the jealously of many veteran soldiers who had worked more than ten years to reach a point I was able to surpass in a day. Mendosa gave me a Valuan uniform to replace my now torn clothing. It was mostly black, with hints of red and touches of gold embroidery. There was also a curved metal plate that was to be worn over my left shoulder, something that seemed wholly unnecessary. I noticed that the higher one's rank was on the ship, the more voluminous their clothing seemed to be. Mendosa's jacket was worn more like a cape than anything and hung several inches off his back. Though there were quite a few exceptions, this was one of the many stranger customs I became surrounded with.

I learned quickly just how much of a weakness my ignorance was. A few days after my initiation I inquired as to what a radio was. The soldier gave me a baffled look and an awkward explanation, and I decided that I should try to direct most of my questions to Doc until I became more settled. The last thing I needed then was deception by people I was to be around every day.

I was instructed by Valuan mages in the ways of using moonstones as weapons. Many were impressed by my quickly achieved mastery of silver magic, which I was told is by far the most difficult type of magic to learn, much less master. Most of the attempts to instruct me in different combat styles, however, fell short, as I could best almost every technique with my own method of combat. I was reluctant to learn "quick kill" techniques, but whether or not I would ever use them did not change the fact that if the world was as brutal as I had been told then other people would indeed know them and that I could not fall victim if I was to complete my mission. I used these lessons to find weaknesses in the techniques and how to avoid them.

Some of the other soldiers informed me of Julian's fate. The acid had completely destroyed all functionality in his left eye, and a small drop had slightly burned the sclera—the white part—in his right eye. He could see, but constantly complained of how it hurt to blink, a thought I could not help but laugh at.

On one occasion I was introduced to Mendosa's family, who lived in a separate section of the Aquila on trips where they were permitted to come along (which were mostly about negotiation). He had a daughter, Piastol, who was eight years old at the time. Her thick, pure white hair stretched down below her shoulders. I was surprised to learn how skilled such a young girl was in the use of knives. She offered to demonstrate, an offer which I passed on. Her eyes were a rich blue, and she told me in secrecy that she wanted to dye her hair to match her eyes, but she feared her father would never permit it. Her skin was also rather pale. As I thought about it, the majority of soldiers who said their homes were in Valua were also pale. I began to picture Valua as a place where people rarely left their homes, either for fear of the outside or some other reason.

Mendosa's wife, Elena, was especially beautiful. Being the only mature woman on the ship, she was constantly eyed by the soldiers when the Admiral turned his back. I never saw it myself, but I'd heard rumors of members of the Armada coming forward to her. They were quickly denied, of course, and both kept quiet about the events to spare the soldiers' reputation. Doc told me that she would not have to search far for a replacement should she decide to leave Mendosa. I asked if he would be up for the job, to which his face turned a pale red.

Over the course of the three months, Elena became pregnant. Mendosa had thrown a rather elegant party to celebrate, and announced it to all of us at once. They embraced each other lovingly, and we took turns offering her our congratulations. One of the homesick soldiers jokingly asked Mendosa that they return to Valua in time so that Elena wouldn't have to give birth on "this floating piece of crap." The Admiral laughed, hiding the resentment of his ship being referred to that way so as to not ruin the occasion. While I had tried to imagine what Valua would be like, the thought of going there never seemed that real. If anything, being in the ship was more natural to me than the thought of traveling the world in it.

The more I became involved in the everyday activities of the Armada, the less important my mission seemed to me. My life in the Shrine was anything but social, and this seemed far more fascinating than an ancient tale of destruction. These people were real, what they were doing was real. My life had always been so focused on the past and future that to be immersed in the present was surreal.

I eventually mustered up the courage to ask what had been done with my ship. I was told the crew was unsure what to do with it when they found me, so it was placed in the hangar along with the lifeboats. They informed that it had been rendered useless, but I assumed that they simply did not know how to operate it. When I entered the hangar, I found technicians analyzing the innards of the ship.

"This technology is remarkable," remarked one of them. He then asked me if I knew the fine details of how it worked. I claimed that it was a gift and that I had little idea how to operate it, much less how it worked.

"That's a shame," he replied, and I left. I feared that continued examination of my ship could lead to too many questions from the soldiers that I did not wish to answer. As such, one night during a supply stop in a merchant village called Maramba, I took the ship from the hangar and hid it near a structure of three finely balanced rocks. I later regretted this decision, for even though it was an easily recognizable structure, there was a possibility that the rocks would fall and I would never be able to find the ship again. I also underestimated the effort it would take to get back across the desert to the ship on foot. I needed to get back before sunrise, both for the sake of stealth and not falling victim to the desert sun. I had learned a technique to use blue magic to protect myself from a sandstorm, but I feared that would use too much stamina. I managed to beat the sun, but not the ship's first shift. I managed to get back to my room undetected only minutes before a knock at my door. It was difficult to hide my exhaustion, and I feigned illness in order to gain extra sleep the next night. I also feigned ignorance of what happened to the ship. Mendosa apologized; I consoled him saying that if it was unfixable it wasn't much use to me anyway.

One night, I lay awake late at night, unable to sleep. My mind raced with thoughts of the events that occurred just before I left the Silver Shrine. The Elders deceived me, and I accepted that. It was probably for my own good. But then my mind began to make connections. In the Shrine, my name had been considered very unusual. On the ship it was just the opposite; I even thought I'd heard another officer being called Ramirez. Also, I was a finely crafted soldier living in a place with no conflict. How long had the Elders been planning this? Was I just a tool to them, or was this the strange mix of coincidences called "destiny"?

Also, the idea that the ultimate end to my mission was the destruction of civilization worried me. These people seemed far less deceptive than the Elders had been; certainly none of them seemed to desire the end of the world. Though the mission had not exactly been in full throttle as it was, I decided that I should put it on hold. Perhaps the Elders were too objective in their judgment; my view of the world was already far more subjective, and this view had drawn the exact opposite conclusion. I ended my inner discussion with the conclusion that I would decide for myself whether or not the people of this world should continue to live. If anything could show me if the world was truly evil, I thought, it would be an imperial military. I agreed with Mendosa's philosophy that to kill a person unnecessarily was wholly and intrinsically wrong. If the Elders persisted, then it would be necessary to stand against them.

Either way, my faith in the Elders had waned.


End file.
